


You've Killed the King

by paperbluehyacinth (infiniteleecity)



Category: NCT
Genre: Character Deaths, Crime fic, Graphic depiction of death, Implied Death, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Mentions of Death, Mentions of Rape, law fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:54:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29219805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infiniteleecity/pseuds/paperbluehyacinth
Summary: At a young age, Doyoung had known that the law wasn’t fair -- it was made for the rich and by the rich. He knew that the only way to defeat it was to play right into it. But when a case causes him to let go of the beliefs he had been building, he needs to make a choice: power or justice.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung & Nakamoto Yuta
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30
Collections: doyochi fest round one





	You've Killed the King

**Author's Note:**

> TW: mentions of death, rape and murder. graphic depictions of death. also implied character death. 
> 
> I don't know if this is actually very graphic, I hope not. I tried to tune it down but with the music I've listened to writing this, I felt things that I needed to convey. lol 
> 
> Also, this is written like how 'The Last Five Years' musical was narrated. One point-of-view is told from beginning to end (Doyoung's) while the other is told from end to beginning (Yuta's). I hope it won't be too confusing. I put timestamps to make it easier to understand.
> 
> And I don't know anything about law stuff. This was mostly based on kdramas and htgawm. I did watch a couple of real life court stuff (which is extremely boring but was helpful).

**30 days after the trial.**

"Do you have any last words?" a man said, peering down at Yuta. He had his whole body strapped, and he couldn't move. There was a tingling feeling at the edge of his fingertips, and he felt… scared.

Why wouldn't he? He was dying today.

Yuta tried to look around the room, distinguishing the blinding white lights from the shapes that walked around it. There were three people inside the room with him -- probably more in the room outside. They were all there just to watch him die.

He tried to move his head and saw a small table. The syringe lay flat on top of a tray, looking menacing. Yuta wondered if he could ask to be put under anesthesia because he didn't want to experience the pain of dying; he decided not to ask.

In the end he realized it didn't really matter. He wasn't going to feel anything at the end anyway.

_ He was going to die today. _

Yuta sighed. He should've spent his last few days readying himself for this moment. Instead, he had held on to hope that he was actually going to live; he had thought there was a chance. He found himself starting to cry. The tears he told himself he would never cry started flowing.

He heard snickers around and a silent "I guess they do get guilty at the end."

Yuta bit down on his tongue, stopping himself from saying that that wasn't what he was crying about. He was crying for the whole opportunity he had lost just because of a system that didn't have his best interests at heart from the very beginning -- the system he was taught to trust.

He took a breath and stopped himself from crying. This system didn't deserve his tears.

The man from earlier looked down at him again, cocking his brow.

"So?" he asked.

Yuta swallowed all the fear and the hesitation down, hoping that was enough to prepare himself.

"I didn't kill my father," he said, proudly and firmly. If he was going to go, he'd rather go exclaiming the truth. Even if the whole world thought differently, he, at least, knew the truth.

And he was going to die with it if he must.

"There's really no point in that now, is there?"

* * *

**60 days before the trial**

The gavel hit the sound block, the judge asking for silence inside the courtroom. A piece of paper was passed towards him.

"The verdict of the jury is in," the judge said. He opened the paper and a slight furrow formed on his brow. Doyoung sat beside his client, Senator Choi, waiting for the verdict. He looked around the room subtly. The senator looked confident while the other table looked to be sitting at the edge of their seats.

The judge cleared his throat. "The verdict is not guilty."

A cheer erupted around Doyoung. They had known what the result of the verdict would be. Doyoung had been able to make all the evidence against the senator invalid. There really wasn't anything to go by when the trial came to a close. At the other side of the courtroom though, the prosecution looked crestfallen. The family started exiting, their heads lowered towards the floor. Doyoung could hear them crying.

He had won so many battles in this courtroom that he never felt guilty any more looking at those families. The law was a big game and the rules of the court were simple -- gain resources, and win.

"I understand now why you're called the King of the Defense," Senator Choi said, shaking Doyoung's hand and patting him on the back. "I am glad you did not disappoint. You will be compensated well."

The senator's guards escorted him out and his secretary shook Doyoung's hand, congratulating him on a job well done.

He fixed his papers, and started towards the door.

"I hope you're happy, Do," he heard a voice say just as he was preparing to leave. He turned to see the prosecutor, Qian Kun, standing on the other side of the room, leaning on another set of doors. "I hope you're happy letting scumbags like that out on the street."

Doyoung snickered. "I was just doing my job. If you did yours, the result would've been different."

Kun shook his head. "I did my job well and I did it fairly. I wish we could say the same for you." He turned and left through the door he was leaning on, leaving Doyoung standing in an empty courtroom.

Doyoung made an unamused face, and left the courtrooms. He passed by a lot of people who cursed at him; he was used to it. Once he was out of the building he looked at the sun and felt the glow of it on his face. This was going to be a good day.

_ "Today concludes the trial of Senator Choi Seungjin's sexual assault case. He was found "not guilty" by the jury to the disappointment of many netizens. Kim Doyoung, Defense Attorney, continues to astound and aggravate his competitors. To this day, Mr. Kim has yet to lose a case. _

_ “On another note, the investigation of the death of the CEO of Jung Pharmaceuticals is underway with the police detaining the number one suspect, Nakamoto Yuta, the adopted son of the CEO. To talk more about this news is --" _

Jaehyun turned off the television, hearing the familiar footsteps of his fiancé down the hall. Doyoung had a certain affinity for taking cases that involved big names. Big names meant big money, and Doyoung, even if Jaehyun didn't like to admit it, was greedy.

"Jae?" he heard Doyoung call. 

Jaehyun took a book out from the drawer under the table, pretending he'd been busy reading before answering. "I'm in the living room, love."

Jaehyun heard Doyoung's footsteps come closer. He felt the older man kiss the top of his head before Doyoung eventually sat beside him.

He was smiling.

"You're happy. I assume the case went well," Jaehyun remarked. He put the book down. 

Doyoung grinned and nodded, "It did."

"I'm glad," Jaehyun said even if he really wasn't. It was hard to be proud of your fiancé's success if it meant bad people kept walking the street. No matter how many times Doyoung insisted that they were innocent, Jaehyun had to side with the people. There really wasn't a justice system if you were working with the rich.

"We can finally get a well needed vacation sometime next year," Doyoung said, not realizing how uncomfortable Jaehyun was feeling. 

"I'd have to check my schedule, but I'd love that," Jaehyun said.

He started rising from his seat. "Have you eaten?" he asked, not wanting to continue with the conversation they were having. "I can cook you some lunch."

"That'll be nice," Doyoung said, reaching for the same book Jaehyun had been reading. "Hey, Jae," Doyoung called before Jaehyun could fully retreat to the kitchen. Jaehyun made a sound of acknowledgement, looking back at Doyoung. 

"I love you," Doyoung said.

Jaehyun gave him a small smile before proceeding to the kitchen.

* * *

**24 Days After The Trial**

A guard walked up to Yuta's cell early in the morning that day.

"Mr. Nakamoto, are you awake?" the guard asked. Yuta recognized it as the voice of one of the nicer guards. Still, he didn't answer; he didn't have the will to do anything anymore. He had been awake for so many days already. Well, at least, it felt like days.

"You have a visitor. It's that attorney of yours," the guard continued to say. Yuta heard the latch of his cell door open and even when the light shone onto his face, he didn't move. The guard stood in the doorway, looking down at him. He stared at the full plate of food by the door that hadn't been touched.

"You do know you have to eat," the guard said. Yuta grimaced.

"What does it matter?" he muttered. His voice cracked. He hadn't talked to anyone in days. The guard looked at him with pity.

"You still have a week. That's what matters," the guard said. He helped Yuta up, and handcuffed his hands. Yuta let himself be guided out to wherever he was going to meet Doyoung.

Despite the feeling that he was drowning in hopelessness, seeing Doyoung was a breath of fresh air. He was wearing casual clothes and not his usual business attire, and Yuta could only think how nice it was to have a friend. His heart constricted at the thought of having another person to leave behind.

Leaving suddenly felt like the worst thing.

When the door to the interrogation room opened, Doyoung immediately stood up.

"You look like shit," Yuta said. 

Doyoung grimaced. "I'm just tired," he answered.

"You should let your boyfriend take you out after this. You deserve a vacation," Yuta mentioned. He noticed a sad smile paint Doyoung's face, but it quickly morphed into a smirk. Yuta decided not to point it out. He didn't think they were close enough to reveal personal things about themselves. Though Yuta felt it unfair that Doyoung knew everything about him, but he knew little about Doyoung, it didn't really matter anymore. It's not like he had the time to mull on trivial things like what Doyoung's favorite color was and why it was so.

When Doyoung started removing folders from his bag, Yuta's heart plummeted.

_ Guess this isn’t a friendly visit _ , he thought.

"So, I found out how we can lessen the punishment," Doyoung said, flipping through pages of his folder. Yuta watched as he moved his hands through the paper, looking excited. Doyoung rambled on about loopholes in the law but Yuta wasn't listening. He had a week left. What difference would a lesser punishment be?

"--I know life imprisonment isn't the best, but we can get parole in a few years," Yuta caught Doyoung saying. He reached out and touched the back of Doyoung's hand, causing him to stop.

"What is it?"

"Don't bother," Yuta remarked. Doyoung's features melted into curiosity and then to sadness once he understood what Yuta was implying.

"Yuta, we can't give up like this," Doyoung said, his voice breaking. "I can't see you die."

Yuta grimaced. "Then don't go on that day."

"Yuta-"

"I don't want you there anyway. I don't want your last memory of me to be that," Yuta remarked. Doyoung looked like he was going to refuse. Yuta understood. Doyoung was a defense attorney after all, and Yuta knew that Doyoung would probably still pursue the case even when there wasn't time left -- even if he said no.

"Let's talk about something else while you're here. We have 40 more minutes," Yuta started. Doyoung swallowed a lump in his throat, not responding. He still looked like he wanted to plead with Yuta to not give up. Yuta wasn't giving up; he didn't have hope in the first place.

The universe had already known from the beginning that he wasn't going to win this case.

"No matter what you do, Do, the judge won’t listen to you. So don't waste your time," Yuta muttered.

Doyoung sighed, "But I have to try."

Yuta shook his head. Even Doyoung sounded hopeless.

"When I saw the judge at the trial that day, I knew I had no chance," Yuta remarked. "He was my father's best friend in law school. I'd say it was a small world, but it isn't. It's just really biased."

"Yuta…" Doyoung started -- his last plea.

But Yuta took Doyoung's hand in his -- stopping the tremors that revealed Doyoung unease. Yuta caressed his hands, telling him that it was okay. That he needed to let go of this case once and for all -- to let go of him.

Yuta smiled up at Doyoung and asked, "What's your favorite color?"

* * *

**59 days before the trial**

When Doyoung walked into the office the next day, he was welcomed by a barrage of congratulations on winning his case. He arrogantly accepted all the well-wishes before rushing towards his office.

"Should I congratulate you or wish you luck for making more enemies?"

Doyoung turned to see his work partner looking out of their office window, his back turned to Doyoung. He had his arms crossed and he seemed agitated. Not like someone who had just gotten back from a vacation.

"The only enemy that you should fear are those that actually have power against you," Doyoung answered, putting his bag down onto his table. Doyoung heard his companion chuckle.

"Nice to have you back, Tae," Doyoung said.

"It's nice to be back," he answered, turning to face Doyoung. "I've heard about your case," he prompted, sitting down on his chair. 

Doyoung shrugged. "Everybody has." He took the pile of mail sitting on his table and shuffled through it.

"Don't you think it's a little extreme, Do?" Taeyong asked, proceeding to look through his own mail. 

"What is?" Doyoung responded.

"Letting a rapist off. Even if he's a senator," Taeyong replied. 

Doyoung sighed, putting his hands down on the table firmly. "If he was guilty, then evidence would point to him. It didn't."

Taeyong grimaced. "You know as well as I do how easily evidence can be faked."

"Then why the hell do we still do what we do if it can all be manipulated easily? Shouldn't we believe in justice? Isn't that what we promised to establish?" Doyoung said.

Taeyong clucked his tongue. "That's rich coming from you."

Doyoung snickered. "We get paid for the work we do, Tae. If you don't like that, you should've become a prosecutor."

Taeyong, seemingly offended, stormed out of the room. Doyoung rolled his eyes and continued looking through his mail. At the back of the pile, an envelope stamped with "urgent" sat. He quickly ripped it and read the contents. It was a short note and it only read,

_ Hello, Mr. Kim. My name is Nakamoto Yuta and I need your help. _

Doyoung grimaced. He didn't have to ask who Nakamoto Yuta was. His story was all over the news. A young, aspiring medical student stabbed his father at their home. If he was being honest with himself, he'd rather have the party of Yuta's father as his client, but Doyoung had always been up for a challenge. Yuta was still the heir of a big company, he still had money. Doyoung wondered how much he'd get, both money and attention, if he actually won this case.

"Jaemin." Doyoung called for his secretary. The young man peeked inside the room, looking scared.

"Clear my schedule," Doyoung said, not looking at his secretary. He read the contents again, feeling excitement course through his veins. "And could you please calm Taeyong down. We have work to do."

* * *

**The Second Day of the Trial**

Yuta felt an uncomfortable unease settle around him. It felt like the walls were closing around him with no trap holes, or windows, or even a ceiling he could climb up to; only an inevitable doom. The surrounding noise became a blur in his head -- a buzzing noise that he couldn’t shake away.

He felt himself shaking.

_ "Quiet!"  _ he heard from a distance.

But the buzzing in his ears continued.

Yuta felt a light touch on the back of his hand. When he looked up, he saw Doyoung looking at him, mouthing words he couldn't understand. He furrowed his brow, curious.

_ "Quiet!"  _ he heard again.

Behind Doyoung, he saw Taeyong looking at him suspiciously. He looked around, noticing everyone around him staring. He looked down at his hands, and he noticed they were shaking. It didn't feel like he was shaking though.  _ He couldn't even feel anything. _

Doyoung continued mouthing words.

"What?" he said aloud. Suddenly, all his senses started working again.

The whole courtroom stared at him curiously, waiting for something to happen.

"May we continue, Mr. Lee?" the familiar voice of the judge said. 

Taeyong turned to the judge and nodded. "Yes," he said. Doyoung still looked at him, worry painting his face.

"Are you alright?" he whispered. Yuta didn't answer; he didn't know how he felt. On the periphery of his vision, he noticed the party of the prosecution with smirks on their faces; some of them were hiding a grin.

_ What’s going on?  _ Yuta thought.

"Has the jury decided on a verdict?" the judge asked, addressing a woman on his right. The woman nodded, handing the judge a small piece of paper. The judge said a rather long speech about not over-reacting once the verdict was announced. He opened the envelope, and Yuta noticed the corner of his mouth rise up. Right then, he realized he didn't need to hear what was coming next. He knew where it was going.

_ He had lost. _

"On this day, April 22nd, Mr. Nakamoto Yuta is found guilty of murder."

The walls around him completely closed in on him. There was a heavy pressure in his lungs, but he couldn't move, pinned to his place by the walls that were putting him there. A lot of cheers erupted from the other side, and Yuta saw Doyoung roll his eyes.

He wanted to feel something too.

He wanted to be sad, to be mad or even to be hopeful, but he just didn't feel anything.

"I didn't kill my father," he muttered under his breath -- a last plea.

Doyoung's hand closed around his wrist, just above the handcuffs. Yuta saw him shake his head, probably telling him not to say anything. He gestured to the judge, who looked like he was still about to say something.

_ "This court has decided to sentence the defendant with capital punishment to be carried out in a month." _

Doyoung and Taeyong abruptly rose to their feet, shouting about something that Yuta decided to ignore.

If he hadn't felt anything earlier, now he just felt everything all at once. The noise of the room vibrating in his head; the feel of his hands shaking; the chaos of colors that flitted in front of his eyes; the taste of death settling just above his tongue; and the smell of decay of the rotten system. 

* * *

**59 days before the trial**

The penitentiary towered over them when Doyoung and Taeyong walked out of Taeyong's car. Taeyong stared at the top of it, his mouth gaping open.

"How many people do you think are inside?" Taeyong asked. 

Doyoung shrugged. "It's my first time here. Really adds a more serious tone to it, meeting a client in prison versus meeting them at their house."

Taeyong grimaced. "I don't think Nakamoto Yuta still has a house after what he did."

They walked up to the entrance which, to Taeyong's surprise, actually looked like a normal building's entryway. Doyoung signed something at the front desk before they were ushered inside the prison. As they walked past, there were whispers in the hallways from the employees wondering who Doyoung would be visiting there. Doyoung seemed unfazed though, and Taeyong could only roll his eyes. His reputation did precede him.

They were ushered into a small room, with a single table at the center -- like interrogation rooms at the police stations.

"Isn't it scary being in a building filled with criminals?" Taeyong said, removing his jacket and draping it on the back of his chair. 

Doyoung snickered. "You've been working with prisoners for years, and now you're scared."

Taeyong shrugged. "We don't usually consider them as criminals."

Doyoung proceeded to take a seat beside Taeyong, removing the folders he had brought. He looked through them, groaning. He didn't have much information to work with -- only the public details about Yuta and his father. Jaemin couldn't find anything else about them.

Everybody knew that Yuta was the adopted son of CEO Jung, and that they mostly got along. That's why it had been a big surprise when the police convicted Yuta of murdering his father, but as soon as that news came out, everybody was quick to point finger sat Yuta without knowing all the details. People were too quick to blame when they really had nothing to do with the news.

"Are you sure about this?" Taeyong asked.

"You were the one who told me to stop taking cases because of the money," Doyoung remarked. 

Taeyong groaned. "This isn't what I meant. We clearly don't have anything to work with. We don't even have evidence."

Doyoung kept still, not bothered at all. "The evidence will be given to us once we agree to take on this case. I still want to know more about this case before I take it."

The door opened and a police officer walked through. Behind them, in shackles, was Nakamoto Yuta. His hair was falling across his face, and he looked thinner than how he appeared in his pictures. Doyoung noted the bruises forming on his hands.

"I, for one, don't like this case," Taeyong whispered, before welcoming their guest in.

"State your name and your age," Taeyong started, removing a blank piece of paper and turning his recorder on. 

Yuta eyed the recorder cautiously. He didn't say anything about it though; instead he said, "Don't you already know that?"

"It's protocol," Taeyong said.

"Fine," Yuta started. "I am Nakamoto Yuta. I am 27 years old."

"Occupation?"

"None at the moment," Yuta joked. 

Taeyong stared at him, unamused. 

Yuta laughed, and answered, "I was a medical intern."

The room was silent as Taeyong wrote that down. Doyoung had his arms crossed, listening. Yuta turned to stare at him, but Doyoung didn't look back.

"So before we take your case we want to know what happened first," Taeyong said once he was finished writing. 

Yuta looked shocked. "I thought you were already taking it?" he asked. 

Taeyong grimaced. "Depends. You have to convince us first."

Yuta looked offended, but Taeyong was enjoying himself.

Doyoung watched Yuta struggling with his handcuffs. He was clenching his fists and Doyoung swore it seemed like he wanted to punch Taeyong. Doyoung found himself grinning.

"I didn't kill my father," Yuta said after a while.

"Not very convincing," Taeyong answered. He urged Yuta to tell the story from the beginning but Doyoung wasn't hearing it.

Instead, he was transported to ten years ago, the same line -- I didn't kill my father -- echoing in his head but this time, it wasn't Yuta's voice but the voice of his brother. He heard the desperation and the sincerity, the belief that he really hadn’t done it. Strong enough to make everyone believe that it was real. Doyoung knew it was real. He didn't care about the dried blood underneath his brother's fingernails or the blood spoiling his brother's favorite cuffs.

He knew when his brother was lying and the day he told the police and the people that he didn't kill their father wasn't one of those. His brother didn't kill their father and Doyoung knew it to be true; if only everyone else did.

As Yuta recounted the story of how he didn't kill his father, Doyoung had that same feeling brewing in his stomach. He was telling the truth. Doyoung knew that to be true.

"We'll take it," Doyoung said, just as Taeyong was ready to instigate another argument.

Taeyong turned to look at him, wide-eyed. "What?" he asked.

"We'll take this case," Doyoung repeated, standing up. He turned to Taeyong and said, "Go to the Crime Scene Investigators, gather the evidence they have and meet me back in my office."

Doyoung then turned to Yuta. "I look forward to working with you," he said before gathering his things and walking out.

* * *

**3 Days before the Second Day of the Trial**

_ Dear Dad,  _

_ You won't ever see this because you're dead. Heck! I won't even be able to send it. If I was able to send it, I don't know to whom. If this letter gets intercepted by the wrong hands then I don't think I would even need a trial. They'd use this against me anyway.  _

_ I won’t admit that I killed you because I didn't. Whoever did kill you though, I don't know if I should thank them or not. Even after death you’re still finding ways to ruin my life. Yes, you did admit that adopting me would make my life easier, but you didn't tell me that being your son had consequences. You always told me what to do -- dictated what I should say, the paths I should take. Never in my life did I hear you ask me what I wanted to do. I never wanted to be a doctor. You needed an heir to this pharmacy business, and you only had an adopted son to control. I don't even know if you actually liked me. Whenever I did something great -- something I was proud of -- you'd have something else to say, to make me feel small. And let's not even talk about what you did when I screwed up.  _

_ Did you never realize how demanding you were? And how emotionally draining it was to be with you?  _

_ I wouldn't have complained if you got married, Dad, because at least that would’ve gotten you off my hands, but having me was the only thing that mattered to you. Looking back at it now, I guess I should thank you. You put food on the table and clothes on my back. You sent me to a decent school, put me in a decent career.  _

_ Hell, you even introduced me to a great guy who I thought I'd love forever. Guess what, Dad? He hated you much more than I did. And now I'm probably going to sacrifice the rest of my life, so he can have a great one!  _

_ I would say that you did it, Dad, you became the perfect person that you always wanted to be. I just wish you could've been the perfect parent.  _

_ Love,  _

_ Your son who you killed for! I hope you rot in hell _

Yuta looked at the letter he had written and laughed. He took the glass of water on top of his drawer and dipped the paper inside -- watching as the ink fell off the page, making the water murky. It felt like a metaphor for his life, filled with too many things that made it unclear. 

He laughed louder, thinking about how ironic his life was. 

The once murky life had turned to nothing, because now, as he looked around the four walls of his cell, he realized, there was no life for him to live anymore.

* * *

**58 days before the trial**

Nothing was secret in the legal world. Doyoung taking Yuta's case was in every conversation of the law firm Doyoung worked at, from the interns to the employees. Not only that, but a lot of law students had started posting about it. Doyoung woke up the next day, receiving too many messages on his phone. He even had to face the throng of the media while walking up to his office.

"Can you make sure the reporters are gone by lunchtime?" he asked one of the guards as he clocked in. The guard nodded, proceeding out of the building.

"You probably get that a lot, don't you?" the woman behind the counter said as Doyoung signed his name in. He didn't respond, didn't even acknowledge the woman before he headed towards his office.

"Is Taeyong here?" he asked his secretary. 

Jaemin shook his head. "He was here earlier, but he had to get the evidence from CSI."

"Wasn't he able to get it yesterday?" Doyoung asked, stopping in front of his office. 

"He had to wait and sign some papers in order for the CSI to release it to him. We just got the heads-up this morning," Jaemin explained.

Doyoung nodded. "Schedule a meeting with Yuta again this afternoon. I want to talk to him alone."

Jaemin turned to his desk, muttering, "Taeyong won’t like that."

Doyoung grinned, entering his office. "Fuck what Taeyong likes."

Jaemin grimaced. As he started to contact the penitentiary, he saw an envelope in front of him. He immediately shouted for Doyoung. The older man peeked out of his office door. 

“What?” he asked, mildly annoyed. 

“They’ve announced the date of the trial. Here.” Jaemin passed the envelope to Doyoung. The latter, who was still holding his things, dropped everything on the floor to open the letter. He wondered how long he had been given to work on this case. 

As he read through the letter, he groaned. 

“When is it?” Jaemin asked, cautiously. 

“In two months,” Doyoung said. 

“That doesn’t seem like enough time,” Jaemin remarked. 

Doyoung clucked his tongue. “It isn’t.” 

He reached back for his things and retreated to his office while shouting at Jaemin, “Call Taeyong. Have him here as soon as possible.” 

"I can't believe you actually took this case," Taeyong said, as he walked into the office a few hours later, piling dozens of folders on Doyoung's desk.

Doyoung was going through the notes Taeyong had taken from their meeting with Yuta the day before. His head had started throbbing, especially since he didn't know where to start. He hoped the evidence would help them start somewhere, but Taeyong's incessant chatter was making him lose hope.

"You know what the people at the CSI told me when I asked for the evidence?" Taeyong remarked. "That we have no chance at winning this case. I perused all those evidence and, Doyoung, we really have no chance."

Doyoung didn't answer. He started looking through the folders, reading all the evidence the CSI had gathered.

Fingerprint evidence showed that Yuta, his father, the chef and an unknown contributor had held the knife that stabbed Yuta's father. Objects around the study only had Yuta and his father's fingerprints, which Doyoung could easily explain as him being part of the household. The CCTV around the house pointed that Yuta had gone home before the time of Jung Juntae's death. A police report clipped to the paper said Yuta had found his father dead in the study, which either meant Yuta was lying or he hadn’t realized his father was being murdered in the study.

The police report, which was inserted at the back of the folder, also stated that Yuta couldn't remember much of anything because he was drunk.

God, they didn't have much to work on, Doyoung thought.

"I don't know what kind of power you have, but it's not going to work in this case," Taeyong continued rambling.

Doyoung continued to ignore him, re-reading all the police reports and the evidence -- looking at the pictures thoroughly.

He knew that Yuta was innocent, and if he had to sacrifice everything to prove that then he would.

"We can still go to the scene of the crime, right?" Doyoung said as he studied the pictures. Something felt off about it and Doyoung wasn't sure what it was. All he knew was that he needed to see the place for himself.

"Jesus, Do!" Taeyong remarked. "Are you sure about this?" 

Doyoung looked up, smirking. "I'm not the King of the Defense for nothing."

Taeyong sighed. "Yes, we still can!"

"Let's go then."

The prosecution was just coming out of the house when Doyoung and Taeyong arrived. Doyoung huffed a disappointed sigh.

"I guess it's true what they said. You are the defense attorney for this case," Qian Kun drawled as he saw Doyoung.

"It's always nice to see you, Kun!" Doyoung replied. 

Kun rolled his eyes. "You really do have a knack for siding with the guilty party, Do. I do hope you're ready to lose this time around."

Doyoung shrugged. "The game is just beginning, and I have no intention of losing."

He pushed Kun out of the way and entered the room, sanitizing himself and putting on gloves to avoid contaminating the scene. Taeyong followed after him, seemingly perturbed by the exchange.

"He never used to talk back to you before," Taeyong pointed out. 

Doyoung snickered. "He was promoted. Of course, he's haughtier."

Taeyong just grimaced. He put his own gloves on and followed Doyoung towards the study.

"So the crime occurred at around 2am," Taeyong read from the police report. "Yuta and his friend arrived at the house a few minutes before that. His friend was seen exiting the house a few minutes after 2am."

Doyoung nodded as he looked around the room.

"Was there anything weird with his friend?" Doyoung asked. 

Taeyong read through the report quickly. "It wasn't mentioned. I'll go and check the footage later and confirm," Taeyong replied.

Doyoung nodded his acknowledgement before standing in the middle of the room. Taeyong passed him the pictures that were taken on the day of the accident. He spun around as he located where the pictures were taken, his mind working.

As he investigated the photos, he let his mind wander to the day of the crime, imagining himself to be there the day it had happened. Taeyong continued reading the report behind him, but Doyoung put Taeyong's voice at the back of his mind -- a welcome background noise.

A few minutes later, he found himself smiling.

"Do you see this?" he asked, approaching Taeyong with a picture of the floor of the study just beyond the door.

"Blood drops," Taeyong said.

"Where are they headed?"

Taeyong observed the picture again. "The blood drops get smaller as you get closer to the door, so whoever this blood belonged to was going out."

Doyoung nodded.

He showed another photo of Yuta's hands. "This was taken inside the study," Doyoung pointed out. 

Taeyong nodded, seeing the familiar carpet underneath the picture of his hands. "Yeah, and?"

"Do you notice the blood on his hands?" Doyoung asked. Taeyong cocked his head to the side. He was about to shake his head, but Doyoung answered for him. "They're dry."

Taeyong, realizing the implications, gasped. "Someone else was in the room then?"

"Yes," Doyoung said, grinning. "Someone walked out of here with blood on their hands."

Taeyong released a relieved sigh. 

Doyoung clapped his shoulders and said, "Go find Yuta's friend. I will have a word with our client."

* * *

**5 Days before the 2nd Day of the Trial**

Days flitted by fast in Yuta's empty cell. He saw the sun rise and set through his small window. On the first days he had counted just to keep track of the days, but the closer they got to the end of his trial day he had lesser reason to count. It felt oddly sadistic trying to know how many days he had left to see the sun. 

It was nighttime when he heard heavy footsteps stop in front of his cell doors.

"There's a call for you," a deep, manly voice said. Yuta would've been scared. 

The man outside his doors was known to be extremely cruel to inmates. But Yuta wasn't scared -- the past few months had taught him that. 

Still, Yuta knew not to make this guard wait. He might not have a chance in court, but he didn't have patience for pain. 

The guard led him towards the telephone booth and stood a few meters away, to add to the guise of privacy. Yuta knew they were recording this call anyway; it didn't matter who was around to listen. 

"Hello," Yuta said, his voice a whisper. He saw the guard smirk. Yuta turned his back on the guard, not wanting to feel even smaller than he already felt. 

"Hey, Yuta!" At the sound of the voice, Yuta felt his heart plummet. The voice that had once given him all the happiness now made him despair. 

_ God, he wanted to shout.  _

"Miss me?" the voice taunted. 

Yuta swallowed his frustration down. "Where the fuck have you been?" he asked through gritted teeth. "People have been looking for you. I've been waiting for you." 

"Why would I come back if everyone is looking for me?" Yuta heard faint laughter on the other end. It felt like another stab in the heart. Here he was, a new ray of hope just vanishing in front of him, and his friend -- his lover -- had the gall to laugh. Yuta felt himself getting angrier than when he had found out his father had killed his parents. 

"You could've saved me," Yuta whispered. 

A snicker. 

"And what, Yuta? Have me rot in jail?" the person on the other end of the line said. "We all know that you have this case well in your hands. You can pay off the jury or whatever you can do with your money. If that doesn't work, you can always pay bail. You even hired that dirty attorney, who is known to put the likes of you back on the street. I don't have that luxury, because I don't have strong or rich parents to back me up. Do you know why that is?"

Yuta gritted his teeth, and clenched the hand that wasn't holding the phone tight. "Why?" he asked, because his friend would never entertain him if Yuta didn't entertain his friend first. 

"Because your grandparents put the sin of your father's onto mine, and he died in jail for it."

The knife that was already planted in Yuta's heart, twisted. 

Why was everything so complicated?

"I loved you!" Yuta remarked, his voice breaking. 

"I love you too, but the sins of your father are too hard to forgive."

"Ten, please!" Yuta pleaded. 

"This law has always been and will always be for the likes of you rich people, and the rest of us are shouting for justice but you never hear," Ten started. "So, I'm sorry, Yuta, if I'm not going back to help you. Finally, you'll understand what it really means when you put an innocent man in jail."

The phone call beeped, and then nothing. Yuta felt his knees buckle underneath him. For the first time in two months, he found himself crying. 

* * *

**30 days before the trial**

Doyoung was going through the notes of the case he'd collected during the past month. If he was being honest with himself, they really had nothing to work on. Despite the evidence not solidly pointing at Yuta, the fact that he had been drunk and still couldn't remember much of that night screwed them over.

Frustrated, he banged his head in his hands, groaning.

"Hey."

Doyoung looked up to see the door of his study open. Jaehyun peeked him, looking at him with a tired smile. "I didn't know that you were still awake," Jaehyun said.

"I couldn't sleep. There's still so much work to do," Doyoung answered. Jaehyun sighed and walked towards Doyoung. He sat down on an empty seat in front of the table. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

Doyoung shook his head, "I can't talk about the case. You know that."

"Not the case, just your frustrations," Jaehyun said. "Let me take some burden off your shoulders."

Doyoung sighed, "It's just such a difficult case."

"Do you think you'll win it?" Jaehyun asked.

"I honestly don't know," Doyoung admitted. Despite what people might think, he actually did his work well, whether money was involved. It's just, most of his cases involved big names.

His first boss, who hated him, had wanted him to fail from the very beginning by assigning him to a case that involved a CEO of a big tech company. The thing that his boss didn't expect was that the case had nothing to throw against the CEO. It just required a lot of smooth-talking to the jury for Doyoung to win the case. That one case was what plummeted him to stardom in the legal world and what put his name on the radar of these politicians and businessmen who had nowhere else to put their money but on a young attorney at law who'd solve their problems for them.

To Doyoung it didn't matter what kind of cases he got, no matter how bad they were, or how guilty his clients seemed to be. He just wanted to keep winning.

But this time around, Doyoung had to win -- he needed to win because for the first time, he knew, his client was innocent.

"Do you think he did it?" Jaehyun asked.

"No," Doyoung answered.

"How are you so sure?"

Doyoung stopped, contemplating. He started playing with his pen, spinning it around his fingers. He wasn't looking at Jaehyun, instead a memory was flitting in his brain. "He reminds me of my brother," he finally said.

Jaehyun looked down at his hands. He had heard about his brother's story once. It wasn't a story that Doyoung liked to talk about, especially after he found out his brother died in jail a few years before Doyoung finished law school. Since then, mentions of his brother were scarce. Sometimes, he wouldn't even talk about his brother at all.

"That means he really is innocent," Jaehyun assured him. Doyoung just smiled, knowing far too well that Jaehyun was just making him feel better. Jaehyun started to stand, and headed back towards the door. "I have to go to sleep. I have an early shift tomorrow," Jaehyun said.

Doyoung nodded.

"I'll be there soon," he remarked. Jaehyun waited for a beat before closing the door behind him.

Doyoung stared back at his notes, and at Yuta's profile. He picked up the picture of his client and said, "I'll win this for you, even if it's the last thing I do."

* * *

**28 days before the trial**

When Doyoung arrived at the penitentiary, Yuta was already waiting inside the interrogation room. He was massaging the inside of his wrists, prompting Doyoung to ask the guards to remove Yuta's handcuffs.

The guard hesitated.

"What?" Doyoung said, cocking his brow up. "He's not going to kill me with all of you here," The guard nodded and removed the handcuffs around Yuta's wrists.

"Thanks," Yuta said. He started moving his wrists as if he hadn't moved them in a few hours. 

"You shouldn't let them mistreat you," Doyoung said.

"You haven't been in jail. They're the authority in this place. We're nothing but filth under their shoes," Yuta said. Doyoung noticed the guard behind Yuta shift. Still, he didn't comment on it any further. Instead, he placed a recorder on the table.

"I want you to tell me the whole thing again from the beginning, to the best of your ability."

"Are you fucking serious?" Yuta asked.

"Yes," Doyoung started. "And I want you to be completely honest with me."

"Why?"

"Because if you want me to get you out of this mess, Yuta. You have to trust me." Doyoung leaned forward, staring into Yuta's eyes to convey his sincerity. The apprehension in Yuta's face softened, and he nodded. Doyoung removed a notebook from his bag and prepared to write.

"It was the night before my exams...."

Yuta started recalling the night he had found out about how his real parents died. He talked about going through his father's stuff and their argument that followed after. He recalled the drinking and how he got home and remained steadfast that he couldn't remember how and when he called 9-1-1; the next thing he remembered was being ushered out by the police and the subsequent interview he had.

"The next day I found out that I'm the prime suspect, and I've been here ever since," he said.

Doyoung nodded, closing his notebook and turning off the recorder.

"Do you think I have a chance?" Yuta said.

Doyoung sighed. "I'm going to be honest with you. It doesn't look good."

Yuta closed his eyes, looking pained. He opened them again, his eyes sad -- as if he had already accepted his fate.

"But Yuta, I'm going to try my best. We'll find a way," Doyoung said as he stood up and gathered his things.

"But you believe me, don't you?" Yuta asked.

Doyoung gave Yuta a small smile. "I do."

He proceeded towards the door, nodding towards the guard. The guard walked back towards Yuta. As Doyoung turned the knob of the door, Yuta called for him. He turned to face his client.

"Thanks," Yuta started, "for believing in me."

Doyoung bowed his head a little and said, "It's what I do." 

* * *

**A few hours after day one of the trial**

"I told you to be honest with me," Doyoung said, slamming his hands on the table. Yuta had never seen him angry. He never really saw Doyoung be anything else either, just placid and seemingly unaffected. This was the closest Yuta had gotten to an emotion from his attorney.

"I was," Yuta choked out.

They were at a small, study-like, room in the courthouse. Day one of the trial had just ended and, to Yuta, it seemed like they were losing the case. 

Doyoung took a deep breath, massaging his temples.

"Why didn't you tell me about the will?" he shouted. Yuta shook in his seat. He had been used to failing a lot of people, but failing Doyoung wasn't ideal -- especially since he had something to prove.

"I didn’t know anything about a will," Yuta said. His voice shook with fear. Because of this, Doyoung snickered.

_ He didn't believe him. _

“I told you we shouldn’t have continued. Why would you allow him to testify like that?” Taeyong remarked. 

“I was being tested,” Doyoung admitted. 

Yuta sighed. 

“No, you were being irrational,” Taeyong replied. “What is wrong with you?” he asked, in a whisper. Yuta still heard it. The room was small, and hardly any noise from the outside could be heard. It was easy to overhear. 

“I got overwhelmed, that’s it,” Doyoung remarked. 

“This is why we think with our heads, Do, not our hearts,” Taeyong chided. He stepped closer to Doyoung. Probably so Yuta wouldn’t hear. Yuta still did, though, but out of respect, he pretended he didn’t.

“I don’t know what about this case is making you act like a first year law student, but you can’t let your feelings cloud your vision,” Taeyong remarked. 

“What feelings?’ Doyoung interrupted. 

“Whatever feelings you have for Yuta,” Taeyong whispered. Yuta almost didn’t hear it. 

He probably should distract himself, so he wouldn’t hear any of these. It seemed very personal, even if it was about him. 

“There are no feelings -” Doyoung started but Taeyong cut him off. 

“There are, and I see it. I don’t care if it’s romantic, or just sympathetic, or maybe because you can relate to the situation, but this is a real important case, Do, and I won’t have you mess this up.” 

Taeyong went back to his seat, very angry. 

He had always been the “good cop” to Yuta. Though he had always been the annoying one, he was someone Yuta thought he could handle. Yuta started to respect their dynamics. Doyoung was the head of the operation, but Taeyong was the body. And when the mind was restless, the body knew when to stop.

"Okay," Yuta said, breaking the tension that had formed around the room. "I heard about my father and his lawyer talking about a will," Yuta admitted. "That's when I found out about how my parents died."

Taeyong started removing papers from his suitcase and rushing to write down everything that was being said.

"I admit to opening the safe," Yuta continued, "but I only took out the papers about the case. I didn't even see a will!"

"You didn't look through all the envelopes?" Taeyong asked.

Yuta shook his head. "I didn't. The case files with my parents’ death report were already in the envelope at the top of the pile. I didn't have to look through the others."

Taeyong turned to Doyoung, wondering what they should do. Doyoung, who had moved towards the window, was silent, looking only at the outside.

"Why would your friend lie against you?" Taeyong asked.

"I don't know," Yuta whispered, his voice breaking. "He totally played me. He told me that he would do everything to help me."

Taeyong sighed as he looked at Yuta. With Johnny's confession, another motive was hanging over Yuta's head. The more they dug into the case, the more answers came up that they didn't need.

Just as Taeyong was about to say something, Yuta turned to them, wide-eyed. He looked as if he had suddenly remembered something.

"My father's lawyer visited me in jail during the first week," he started. Doyoung turned to listen. "He mentioned something about me being the heir of a million dollar fortune and how it's a motive. I mean I know I'm the only child of my father, but I never thought I’d inherit most of his money. Dad always said he'd give most of it away because I told him, I didn't really need it."

Taeyong stared, confused. "I don't understand."

"It was as if he already knew that being the heir was one of my motives, that he could use it against me," Yuta mentioned.

"As if he had already planned it," Doyoung whispered from where he was standing. Taeyong's brow furrowed, frustrated.

"Taeyong, would you do something for me? It might require a little extra digging," Doyoung remarked. 

Taeyong shrugged. "I'm always up for a challenge." 

* * *

**Day of the Trial**

From the walk towards the court house into the courtrooms there was a buzz of excitement and dread. Everyone seemed to want in on the case of a son killing his father and the whole world seemed to stop. When they entered the courtroom, the buzz continued.

Kun and Doyoung greeted each other, before the judge eventually came in.

"This trial is for the suspected murder of Mr. Jung Juntae, by his adopted son, Nakamoto Yuta. May the prosecution discuss their case."

Kun walked up to a podium, and turned the projector on, flashing through different images before stopping at a photo of the study before the crime.

"Jung Juntae, 59, was found dead in his study around 4 am in the morning by his son, Nakamoto Yuta. Mr. Nakamoto called for 9-1-1 immediately after and the paramedics and the police arrived a few minutes after the call, finding Yuta with a knife in his hands, and his father on the ground. Prior to the murder, the next door neighbors heard arguing from the house a little before 10 pm. They confirmed that the voices they heard belonged to Mr. Jung and his son. An autopsy of the deceased's body confirms he died of exsanguination due to a stab wound through the back which also severed his spine. The murder weapon was the knife found at the scene of the crime. A few documents regarding the death of Nakamoto Yuta's birth parents were also found at the scene. The defense has admitted this was the cause of the argument between the two. It can also be considered as the motive of the crime. From the CCTV footage around the house and the fingerprints on the knife, the detectives have pinpointed the son, Nakamoto Yuta, as the viable suspect."

Kun finished moving through the images before eventually ending his statement and going back to his chair. The judge turned to Doyoung and ushered him to stand up. "Now, may the defense present their argument."

Taeyong stood up and took his position, not bothering to touch the projector. The photos of the crime had already been shown anyway; there was no need to show it again. 

"How does the defense plead?" the judge asked.

"Not guilty," Taeyong replied. The judge nodded and gestured for him to continue.

"On the day of the crime, the defense, Nakamoto Yuta, had an argument with his father at around 10 pm, regarding the death of his parents. He left the house a few minutes after the argument to get a drink at a bar. He called his friend, Seo Johnny, to pick him up, but because his friend was on rotation on the night of the accident, his other friend Lee Young Heum, most commonly known as Ten, picked him up instead. They arrived home a few minutes before 2 am. The CCTV footage showed his friend leaving a few minutes after 2 am. At 4 am in the morning, when Yuta was getting water to drink, he noticed the lights of the study were turned on. He walked towards it to turn it off, only to find his father's dead body lying on the ground. He called 9-1-1 after. According to the defense, the knife was already out of his father's body when he found it. He had picked it up before putting it back down in a state of panic, which explains his fingerprints on the weapon," Taeyong ended.

The judge continued to nod as he looked through his papers. Soon he called the prosecution to introduce their first witness.

A few witnesses came and went -- from the neighbors (confirming the story of the argument) to the employees at the restaurant (who confirmed Yuta's presence and furthermore, Ten picking Yuta up).

"May the prosecution introduce their next witness," the judge spoke after the owner of the restaurant had left. 

Kun stood up, buttoning a button on his blazer before announcing, "I'm calling Seo Johnny to the stand."

Taeyong stood up abruptly, surprised.

"We were not aware that he was a witness in this case," Taeyong said. The judge turned to Kun, a brow raised.

"We sent the memo earlier this week," Kun answered. 

Doyoung turned around to look at his secretary, who was shaking his head furiously. "We did not get a memo."

"Maybe you should check your mail?" Kun taunted.

"Maybe you shouldn't lie?" Doyoung argued.

A series of hits from the gavel echoed throughout the room. Taeyong eyed Doyoung, a warning look in his eyes.

“How would you want to proceed, Mr. Kim?” the judge asked. Taeyong took a seat, turning to Doyoung and mouthing that they shouldn’t continue. Doyoung, though, was tempted. He looked at the people in the crowd, waiting for his response. He turned to Yuta, wondering what the best course of action was. Finally, he turned to the prosecution -- to Kun -- who looked to be challenging him. 

Doyoung had always liked a good challenge. 

“We can continue,” Doyoung answered. 

Taeyong gritted his teeth, his fist clenched on top of the table. Kun stood up, smiling, and called Johnny to the stand. 

“Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?” the judge asked once Johnny was settled on the stand. Johnny took a while to answer, but he eventually agreed. 

Kun approached the stand with a sort of splendor -- a palpable confidence. It annoyed Doyoung. 

Kun started with the usual questions: how he met Yuta, if they knew each other well, what their relationship was like. Suddenly, he asked something Doyoung didn’t expect. 

“Did he talk to you about a will?” Kun asked. 

Taeyong, Doyoung and Yuta leaned forward in their seats as if they hadn’t heard what was just asked. Johnny swallowed, nervous. 

“Yes,” he said. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead, and he hastily wiped it away.

“He’s lying,” Taeyong whispered. Doyoung touched his wrist, telling him not to say something like that aloud. 

“When did he tell you about this?” 

“Just after our exams. He told me he saw his father’s will in the safe earlier that week when he was looking for a book to read,” 

“And what did he tell you about it?” 

“Just the contents. He said that if he had that money, he’d stop going to med school and just run away somewhere.” 

“Did he say anything else?” 

“He said it was sad that he’d have to wait for his father to die before he could have the money, and how nice it would be if he just had the money then.” 

“That’s all, Your Honor,” Kun said, walking back to his seat before flashing Doyoung a winning grin. 

* * *

**7 Days Before the Trial**

Seo Johnny visited Yuta a few days before his trial. He had been trying to visit him earlier, but his father kept assigning him work that kept him busy. 

“Hey,” Johnny said, smiling sadly at his friend on the other side of the glass window. 

“It’s nice to see a familiar face,” Yuta remarked. 

Johnny smiled. “Have your attorneys been giving you a hard time?” 

Yuta shrugged. “They’re just doing their jobs, I guess.” 

“I’m sorry this happened to you, Yuta,” Johnny said. Yuta shook his head. This wasn’t the time to be sentimental and sorry. Things had already happened. It wasn’t like apologies could take that away. 

“Have you heard from Ten?” Yuta asked. 

Johnny shook his head. 

“He left the country earlier than expected. When he got home the night he dropped you off home, his father immediately made him travel to the UK,” Johnny explained. “I couldn’t get a hold of him since he left. I don’t even know if he knows what happened to you.” 

Yuta just nodded his head sadly. 

They talked about other things, school stuff mostly, not wanting to dwell on the reality of what they were facing. 

When the hour was up, and Johnny was ready to leave, he said, “I’d do anything to get you out of here, okay? You don’t deserve this.” 

“Thanks, John. It means a lot,” Yuta said before he was eventually ushered away.

* * *

Johnny got home a little after 5am the next day. He went to the hospital right after visiting Yuta and decided to stay the night there. 

“Where have you been?” his father asked once he got home. 

“Just the hospital. I stayed the night,” he explained. 

“You weren’t there in the morning. I called them,” his father remarked. Johnny stopped walking. He took a deep breath and faced his father. 

“I went to visit Yuta,” he admitted. 

His father glared and shouted at him for disobeying his rules. “I told you never to visit him.” 

“He’s my friend.” 

“The moment he murdered his father -- my friend, my client -- he no longer is a friend of this family.” 

“I can’t believe you believe that. He didn’t kill his father. Yuta would never.” 

“Sing his praises, but I believe what the lawyers tell me. If they say he killed his father then he did,” his father remarked. He approached Johnny, eyes focused on his. “If I ever find out you’ve helped that man one way or another, Johnny, I am telling you, you will never see a piece of my fortune or this family again,” he threatened.

Johnny collapsed in the middle of the living room, thinking about everything he could lose. He reminded himself of his brother, Mark and his mother. 

He could do without the money but not with them. 

Johnny closed his eyes, hoping that he’d never see a day he’d have to choose between his father and his friends. 

* * *

A few hours later, just after dinner, his father called for him in the study. 

“Johnny, I want to introduce you to someone,” his father said the moment he walked into the room. 

He turned to the other person in the room and bowed his head. 

“Hello, Johnny. I’m Qian Kun.” 

* * *

**1 Day after the First Day of the Trial**

_ "The trial of the murder of Jung Juntae, CEO of Pharmaceutical, which started today, is set to continue in a week. Qian Kun, the prosecutor of the case, is confident that they'll win this case despite having well-renowned defense attorney, Kim Doyoung, as the representative of the defendant. This is the third case this year having Qian and Kim face off in court." _

The medical intern, Zhong Chenle, shook his head as he turned the television off. He took a sip of his coffee, turning to his fellow intern, Lee Jeno.

"That Kim Doyoung does have the nerve, huh?" Chenle commented. At the other table, Wong Yukhei stood up from where he had been sleeping and turned to look at Chenle.

"Why is that?" Jeno asked. 

Chenle shrugged. "I mean everyone knows that he always represents the guilty party. If he thinks he can get away with this, then everyone will just hate him."

"But isn't he just doing his job?" Jeno asked.

As they continued to talk between themselves, they didn't realize that Jung Jaehyun had entered the staff room. Yukhei noticed him as he turned in his seat and stood up abruptly. Chenle and Jeno didn't seem to notice who had just entered.

"--did you know that the girl who died at the emergency table yesterday was a sexual assault victim of Senator Choi? The court probably thinks he's innocent, but he put too many people in the hospital for us to know otherwise," Chenle remarked. Jeno shook his head, and then he froze, looking at something behind Chenle's back.

Chenle stared at him, curiously. "What?"

Jeno turned a little to the side (not that it hid him from view or anything) and started pointing at something behind Chenle's back. Chenle turned and saw Jaehyun standing by the doorway, looking tired. The older man entered and started fixing his things.

"Are you going home already, sir?" Yukhei asked. 

Jaehyun nodded. "Dr. Moon just came in, so I'm going to head out."

Chenle still looked confused. "What?" he kept asking Jeno, who refused to answer.

Jaehyun then proceeded out the door with Yukhei following behind him. Before Yukhei could close the door, Jaehyun heard Jeno telling Chenle, "Kim Doyoung is Doctor Jung's fiancé."

A soft gasp could be heard from their youngest intern. "What? I can't believe Doctor Jung would settle for someone like that."

Yukhei closed the door before they could hear anymore.

Jaehyun just sighed and proceeded to leave.

"You shouldn't mind them. They're young, and they still don't know what's right or wrong to say," Yukhei explained. He grimaced. "I, for one, am a big fan of your fiancé. I think he's doing a good job."

Jaehyun found himself laughing. He could hear the insincerity in Yukhei's voice and the slight tremor, as if he didn't like what he was saying. Jaehyun turned to him just before the exit of the hospital. "You don't have to defend him in my presence," Jaehyun said.

"But you don't deserve to hear all that," Yukhei said, pointing in the direction of the staff room.

"All the doctors have talked about it for a while now. It's not like I'm not used to it," Jaehyun said, with a defeated sigh. "Besides, they're right."

Yukhei cocked his head, confused.

"Doyoung is a great guy, and he's a nice person," Jaehyun started. "But he has skewed beliefs and that makes him a bad lawyer."

* * *

When Jaehyun got home, all the lights of the house were turned on. Dishes were unwashed in the kitchen and there were empty bottles and plastic bags in the living room. It was a familiar sight. Whenever Doyoung was too deep in a case, he'd forget to do the little things around him. Honestly, it annoyed Jaehyun. He was a doctor -- so was everyone in his family. Because of that, he had always been taught to be tidy. Still, whenever Doyoung did these things, he bit down on his tongue to stop himself from saying anything; that seemed to be what he always did around Doyoung.

He couldn't tell Doyoung to clean up after himself -- couldn't tell him what cases to take. Jaehyun couldn't even dissuade him from protecting the filth he called clients.

He’d always just listened and never spoke because he knew Doyoung was too busy to listen. He'd be the one to sacrifice his time, and adjust his habits because Doyoung couldn't be bothered to sacrifice his.

"Jae?"

The sound of Doyoung's voice returned him back to the present. He turned to look at Doyoung. The latter looked around the room. "I'm sorry for the mess. I got really busy," he said, but he didn't move to fix it. Jaehyun just nodded and started cleaning the mess himself.

"You look tired," Doyoung observed. "Is there something I can do?"

Jaehyun sighed.

He didn't know if he was just tired because of work, or tired of this relationship. The words hidden inside the box he refused to open, floated to the top and pushed the box open themselves.

"Do better," he said.

"What?" Doyoung asked.

"You should do better in being the second person in this relationship, and do better as a person."

"I don't understand," Doyoung started, walking towards Jaehyun.

"I am so tired, Do," Jaehyun admitted. "I am tired of cleaning after you. I am tired of hearing you pour out about your day, and never get asked how my day goes. I am tired of all the whispers I hear behind my back about how my fiancé is a dirty, corrupt, and cheap lawyer who does his job because of the money he is given."

Doyoung, who had been approaching Jaehyun slowly, stopped.

"Jae," he started. There was a red tint creeping up his neck and Jaehyun knew he was angry. "I am just doing my job."

Jaehyun snickered. "No, you're not. If you were being honest with yourself, how many people did you represent that you thought were innocent?"

Doyoung didn't answer.

"You're blinded by the words these people tell you. You trust them too much, and you expect them to be telling the truth because who would lie to you?" Jaehyun shouted. "You don't understand that the work you're doing is causing so much pain to too many people because you're putting their suspects back on the street."

"That's not fair," Doyoung started.

"When I met you, you told me that you wanted to be a lawyer because you wanted to give people hope. You wanted to be the voice that they couldn't have, and I supported you through that process, even until now," Jaehyun remarked. He took a deep breath, and added, "But you don't give people hope, Do. You give them fear. By putting the people that caused them pain back onto the street you hand them a note that says they will never be safe. They continue to look over their shoulders, and they fear walking the same road they've always walked, now with a target on their backs."

Jaehyun didn't realize he had been crying. It hurt him to say these things, and maybe he shouldn't be saying it. But a broken heart would say just what it wanted to say and do just what it wanted to do, given the circumstance. Besides, he realized, Doyoung needed to hear this stuff.

"You know why I'm doing this, Jae. You know why I do what I do," Doyoung started. Jaehyun shook his head.

"Stop lying to yourself, Do. I know that you're doing this to get justice for your brother, but we both know it isn't true. We both know you knew," Jaehyun said.

"Knew what?"

Jaehyun stopped, contemplating. There were words he knew he could say that he would never be able to undo. There were words he could say that would cause a rift in their relationship; a rift that he would never be able to restore.

But the Jaehyun standing there was irrational, and sad, and somehow he didn't care.

"You knew that your brother killed your father and the only reason why you're doing this is to keep up the lie that you've created in your head. You saw him that day, Do. You knew he did it."

Doyoung took in a deep breath, his face contorting into grief. Jaehyun had finally struck a chord.

"You should be honest to yourself first, before you even think to be honest to these people you represent."

Jaehyun turned on his heel and headed towards the door.

* * *

Doyoung received a note the next day with a few simple and heartbreaking words.

_ I love you, Do and I would do anything for you but this life that you continue to choose to live isn't a life I think I can live with. I'm sorry. -Jae _

* * *

**60 Days Before the Trial**

The first visitor Yuta had come around a week after he was detained. He felt a weight lift from his heavy heart when he saw who it was -- his father's lawyer.

"Attorney Seo," he said through the receiver once he had the phone in his hands. They were separated by a glass pane and the attorney -- Yuta noticed -- seemed to glow.

"When can you get me out of here? These detectives are insane," Yuta said. Unexpectedly, the attorney started to laugh. It seemed like he was watching a show and he was enjoying it. Yuta didn't know if he should join in. He didn't even know what the attorney was laughing about.

"I work for your father, Yuta. Do you not remember?"

Yuta's heart plummeted down to his stomach and he felt like all the air in his lungs had been punched out. Attorney Seo wasn't there for him, he was there to gloat.

"You can't actually believe I killed my father, do you?" Yuta asked.

The attorney shrugged.

"It doesn't seem to be working in your favor, Yuta. First, there's the thing with your parents' murder -- a motive. Next, you're the sole heir of a million dollar fortune -- another motive. Third, you were found at the scene of the crime with the knife in your hands -- opportunity and motive," he said, a smirk playing on his lips. "Isn't that how those detective games work? You only need that, and you already know who to blame for a murder."

Yuta, enraged, started thrashing around on his chair. A police officer walked closer towards them but Attorney Seo raised his hand to stop him. He mouthed that everything was fine and continued to talk with Yuta.

"What do you want?" Yuta asked, desperation lacing his voice. "Do you want money? Do you want me to settle?"

"Murder doesn't have settlement," Attorney Seo clarified. "Besides, I want to see to this until the end."

"Why?"

"Because Yuta, with you out of the way, I get the fortune."

Yuta guffawed. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

_ God, how could he be so foolish? _

"You killed my father," Yuta said, realization dawning. 

The attorney laughed. "I didn't, but I would say it was a welcome solution."

He gave one last smile to Yuta before he hung up the phone. 

* * *

**Second Day of the Trial**

The second day of the trial started out swimmingly. Well, that was what Doyoung thought.

"I believe there is something you'd like to say about our last witness, Mr. Kim," the judge asked. Doyoung nodded, walking towards the stand. Kun eyed him suspiciously.

"We have reason to believe that Seo Johnny was lying in his testimony about the deceased's will," Doyoung started. He turned on the projector and showed a couple of pictures.

"These are pictures taken from around the school where our client was after their exam. As you can see, none of these show that he and Johnny were together after their exam."

Kun stood up, fixing his coat. "The defendant might have only told Mr. Kim about places he went to without Johnny. This doesn't prove anything."

The judge slapped the gavel hard on the table, giving Kun a warning look; it wasn't his turn to speak.

"Because of that we have also looked into Johnny's whereabouts during that day." Doyoung proceeded to show pictures of Johnny around the school. He turned to Kun with a smile, before continuing with his presentation. "To add to my last point, this is a camera installed in the safe. The prosecutor showed this the last day, confirming that Mr. Nakamoto did indeed remove things from the safe," Doyoung began. "But as you can see, he hadn't been seen in the camera ever since the beginning of this year, which is way before his exams and also, he wasn't seen opening it after until the events of the crime."

Doyoung turned off the projector.

"Thus, I'd like to conclude that Mr. Seo's testimony was falsified." He walked back to the seat, smiling at Kun, a winning grin.

The judge looked torn, but having heard the evidence, he decided to not consider the testimony of Johnny as part of the evidence. The trial continued with more evidence (including the blood evidence they had found at the scene) and a few more witness testimonies.

As the case started to come to a close, Doyoung was starting to grow confident that they would win the case.

"Is there anything more to add before we let the jury decide the verdict?" the judge asked.

Kun stood up.

"We have new evidence we want to present," Kun said.

Taeyong stood up abruptly.

"We did not get a memo for this," Taeyong said. He looked exasperated, as if a second memo not arriving to them was too much.

"That's quite convenient for you. Still, it's the last day of the trial," the judge answered. "I would like to see this evidence." Taeyong started shouting his complaints, but the judge quieted him. He cursed under his breath as he sat back down.

He turned to Doyoung, wondering what they should do.

"Let's just see what they have," Doyoung said. Taeyong rolled his eyes, as if this wasn't the answer he wanted to hear.

"This evidence was retrieved a few weeks ago. It's a tape recorder, installed in the study," Kun said. Yuta proceeded to bite his fingernails, as if extremely worried.

A recording of the argument Yuta had with his father played around the courtroom. For the first time, there was silence. Nothing but the recording was heard. It was very incriminating, and Doyoung could only take deep breaths to calm himself. Taeyong looked to be having a harder time calming himself down.

_ "What would you have said then that you haven't said now?"  _

_ "I would have understood."  _

_ "No, you wouldn't. I know you, Yuta; you're not quick to forgive." _

Yuta's laugh from the recording echoed through the room.

_ "You're right. I would've killed you." _

The tape ended.

Doyoung saw the side on Kun's lips turn to a smile. The court erupted with disapproval from everyone. Taeyong just groaned. Doyoung stood up, buttoning a button on his blazer.

"Was that the end of the recording?" Doyoung asked.

"Unfortunately, we weren't able to retrieve the rest," Kun replied. Doyoung smirked.

"How convenient that the only thing you've retrieved was incriminating evidence against my client and not even the events of the crime. It would make our jobs easier if we had that," Doyoung drawled. There was an uncomfortable shift around the room and Doyoung wanted to scream. He knew this scene far too well.  _ Somebody was lying. _

"If that is all, we'll have a recess break as the jury decides on a verdict."

* * *

"You're not going to win this case, Doyoung," the voice of Kun said as Doyoung walked out of the courtroom.

"How are you so sure?" Doyoung asked, walking towards the prosecutor.

Kun shrugged. "I played the game you played," he taunted. "What was that you always said? The rules of the game are clear -- gain resources and win."

Doyoung bit the inside of his cheeks, trying not to say anything.

"I guess this is why you kept taking clients who had money. It really is nice when the scales are in your favor," Kun remarked.

Doyoung snickered, "So justice does have an expiry date with you."

Kun walked towards Doyoung menacingly. He leaned close and whispered, "I do my job well, and I do it fairly."

Doyoung clenched his fist. He was going to remain calm.

"I'm excited to finally see you lose, Kim Doyoung," Kun said before walking away.

* * *

Doyoung had seen it coming. The recorded evidence had been too incriminating, and the fact that Yuta said that on the day of his father's accident didn't help his case.

What Doyoung hadn’t foreseen was the capital punishment.

A life imprisonment sentence was easy to manipulate. He could get Yuta out of jail in two to three months time, but with capital punishment he didn't have the time.

He was prepared to lose, but not this way.

For the first time in his career, Doyoung finally realized what everyone had always told him.

_ Justice was not fair and it never had been.  _

* * *

**67 days before the Trial**

Ten found Yuta slumped over a table, an almost empty bottle on his hands. More empty bottles were scattered across the surrounding table. Ten sighed.

"If you were going to invite me to drink with you, then you should've waited for me to get here before you started drinking," Ten said, dragging Yuta up to a sitting position. He removed the alcohol bottle from Yuta's hand and replaced it with a bottle of water.

"I didn't call you. I called Johnny," Yuta murmured.

"I know that. But he's on call today, and I wasn't," Ten said. "You should've called me instead."

Yuta snickered. "You would've worried."

Ten slapped his forearm. "If you knew that why would you do this?" he asserted. Yuta just smiled at him, leaning his head onto Ten's shoulder.

"God, you stink!" Ten remarked, but he didn't push Yuta away. "Why are you drinking anyway?"

Yuta sighed, his smile dropping from his face.

"I found out that my father is lying to me," Yuta said. 

Ten snickered, "Don't all our fathers lie to us?" he asked. 

Ten felt Yuta shake his head. "This is different. This is more serious." Ten turned to look at Yuta. He had his brow furrowed, looking mad. 

Ten clucked his tongue and said, "What would you do without me?"

He stood up and started cleaning the table.

"That's why you shouldn't leave," Yuta remarked. 

Ten cupped Yuta's face in his hands. "I have dreams too, Yuta."

Yuta's head slumped against the back of the chair when Ten let go. The latter called for the waiter and paid Yuta's bill. Once everything was settled, he took Yuta's hand and dragged him out of the restaurant. "Come on, let's get you home."

* * *

Yuta didn’t remember how he called 911. He didn’t remember how the blood had gotten onto his hands, or how he had come to find his father.

What he remembered though was the knife in his hands (before he eventually dropped it) and how the blood was still wet.

'He hadn't been dead long' was the only thought running through Yuta's head as the police hoisted him into the police car and drove him downtown.

There was a lot of noise coming into the police station. People looked at him weirdly, stared at his face and stared at his hands.

He could still smell the blood.

The noise stopped when he was pushed towards a chair, but there was a continuous buzzing in his ears. He couldn't hear anything.

The faces in front of him were moving their lips, first to each other and then towards him. He couldn't hear.

Finally, the buzzing stopped, and he just heard shouting.

"Yuta!" a shout came.

"What?" he snapped.

One of the policemen -- Yuta read his name tag, Lee Jihoon -- sighed. "We have been asking you what happened," he said, sitting down opposite Yuta.

"I don't know," Yuta started. "My father was dead in the study. I found him there," Yuta rattled.

The other policeman -- Lee Minhyuk -- started writing things down.

"Why did you remove the knife?" Jihoon suddenly asked, making Yuta confused. His brow furrowed. "You're a medical student, you should have known better."

Yuta slammed his hands on the table. "I did not remove the knife," he started. "It was already out of his body when I found him."

They narrowed their eyes at him, and they exchanged knowing glances with each other.

They didn't believe him.

"We're going to ask you a few more questions. Are you ready?"

Yuta nodded.

"Were you at home the whole night?"

"No!"

"Where were you?"

"I went out for a drink."

"What time was that?"

"Around 10pm?"

"Were you alone?"

"Yes!"

"How long were you drinking?"

"I don't know."

"How did you get home?"

"A friend drove me home."

"I thought you were alone."

"I called him."

"Who is this friend?"

"Ten! Lee Young Heum."

"What time was that?"

"I don't know."

They stopped. Lee Minhyuk continued writing and Jihoon seemed to be out of questions to ask. Finally, he flipped to another page. Yuta saw his eyes flitting around the page.

"The neighbors heard you arguing with your father just before you left the house," he started. "What were you arguing about?"

Yuta swallowed. He knew he should tell the truth. It was going to come out in the middle of the investigations anyway. Besides, he remembered leaving the papers on the table. It would be easy to connect the dots once the police found that.

"I found out he killed my parents," Yuta admitted.

Lee Minhyuk stopped writing and stared at Lee Jihoon curiously. Jihoon had a smirk painting his face. He closed his notes and stood up.

"You’d better hire a good attorney, Mr. Nakamoto. You'll need it."

* * *

**_3 Days after the Trial_ **

Taeyong arrived at the office, disgruntled. Despite the results of the trial, a lot of people were still calling them to represent them in court. Taeyong had to deny most of them (except those he knew he could handle alone) because Doyoung was still inconsolable. He knew it wasn't because they had lost. Doyoung was inconsolable because of the punishment. Even Taeyong knew the sentence was unfair, especially for an innocent person.

"Is he still in there?" he asked Jaemin when he got to their floor. 

Jaemin nodded. "I don't think he left."

"Gosh, Jae must be really worried," Taeyong muttered. He prepared himself to go in, fixing his coat around himself.

"They broke up, didn't you hear?" Jaemin said. 

Taeyong stopped fixing his clothes and stared at Jaemin. "What?" he asked.

Jaemin nodded, a sad smile painting his lips.

"But they were going to get married," Taeyong said, in a sad voice. 

Jaemin shrugged. "This case really took a toll on a lot of people."

Taeyong sighed and opened the door to their office.

He saw Doyoung sitting on his chair, hands in his hair, reading a folder.

"Do, the case is over," Taeyong started, slowly walking to his desk. He watched Doyoung carefully, worried he might say or do something that might further upset his co-worker.

"We can still appeal, Tae," Doyoung said, flipping a page. Taeyong groaned, unable to think of anything to persuade his friend to stop. He wanted to try and try again, but he knew that there was no more fight to win. The game had already been played for them; they were stepping into a game that already had a designated winner. They had no chance.

"Doyoung, I know you care about this person," Taeyong started. 

Doyoung slammed his fist on the table, standing up to face Taeyong. "You should too," he said. "An innocent person is going to die at our hands if we don't do anything about it."

Taeyong swallowed a lump in his throat.

"I don't want to be the bad guy here, but you know far too well that we have no chance, Do. You should just accept the truth--"

"I'm not lying to myself!" Doyoung shouted. "I know the truth, and I'm not feeding myself lies to make me feel better, Jae!"

Taeyong stopped, surprised. He wondered how long Doyoung had been keeping these pent-up feelings.  _ The break-up must have done things to him,  _ Taeyong thought. He hated that he hadn’t even noticed.

Doyoung continued muttering to himself, "I'm not lying to myself."

Taeyong crossed the room and proceeded to comfort his friend, but Doyoung stopped him. The latter took a deep breath before saying, "If you want to comfort me, help me with this case. I'm not giving up. I can’t."

With a sigh, Taeyong nodded.

"If you promise me that you won’t blame yourself if we can't sway the judge after this, then I will help you."

"Okay," Doyoung said. Taeyong offered his hand and they shook on it.

* * *

**_25 Days After the Trial_ **

"What happened?" Taeyong asked, looking through the open door of their office. Doyoung didn't seem to notice that the door was open at all.

"Yuta told him to stop -- to let go of the case," Jaemin said, standing beside Taeyong as they watched Doyoung.

"He won't stop though, will he?" Taeyong asked.

"I don't think giving up is a concept Doyoung understands."

* * *

**_27 Days After the Trial_ **

Finding something that hadn't been said in the trial for the appeal was harder than Taeyong had imagined. Still, Doyoung didn't seem fazed. He had been working on it for the past days. Sometimes Taeyong would help him, sometimes he wouldn't. He had other cases to work on. To Taeyong, it seemed like Doyoung knew something, but the latter hadn't told him about it, which made Taeyong much more frustrated with the case. Taeyong didn't even understand why they were still trying when Yuta had already told them to stop.

They were going back to the case reports regarding Yuta's parents’ accidents that day. Doyoung seemed to be confident that there was something there they had missed.

"Can you read that last report to me again?" Doyoung said.

Taeyong sighed, picking up the report. He muttered under his breath, "Why do we have to repeat this when it's not even true?"

Taeyong cleared his throat and started reading, " _ After a few months in the investigation, the detectives finally got a lead that led them to a man named Lee Hyunggu, Jung Juntae's personal driver." _

"Who is Lee Hyunggu again?" Doyoung asked.

Taeyong looked through his notes, finding the folder with Lee Hyunggu's profile. He read through his profile -- real name, which was in Thai (his Korean name was Lee Hyunggu), age when he worked for Jung Pharmaceuticals, nationality, year of immigration to Korea, name of his wife, his children, his parents, other occupations before working for Jung Pharmaceuticals.

"Wait," Doyoung interrupted. "Can you repeat the name of the children?"

Taeyong repeated their Thai names, ending with their Thai nicknames, "Ten and Tern."

"The same Ten that is Yuta's friend?" Doyoung asked.

Taeyong's eyes widened as he understood.

"If he found out about the accident he'd have known his father was framed," Doyoung muttered. "He'd have the perfect motive, and he was there around the time that the crime was committed."

Taeyong released a relieved sigh. "This could be what we need to officially release Yuta."

Doyoung released a gleeful laugh, as if everything he had been working on had just been put into place.

"Draft a report and prepare all the evidence we have against Ten. I need it in two hours if we want to make it in time," Doyoung said, looking down at his watch.

"Do you think the judge will accept this?" Taeyong asked.

Doyoung shook his head. "We're not bringing it to the judge," he said. Because Doyoung knew that Yuta was right. No matter what they did, the judge would never listen to them. Taeyong stared at him, confused.

"Who do we send this to, then?" Taeyong asked.

"Someone who only cares about doing the right thing."

* * *

_ Dear Mr. Qian Kun _

_ Inside this folder is something that might interest you. I am not sure if you would even look at the contents. I wouldn't put it past you if you burned this folder altogether, but I will tell you that the life of a man is in on your hands. Do what you wish with the information. You can take it to court or you can ignore it. That's up to you. _

_ But at the end of the day, it is your decision now. _

_ Hoping for the best, _

_ Kim Doyoung _

* * *

**67 days before the trial**

It was almost midnight when Yuta woke up. He cursed himself as he looked at the papers that had creased under the weight of him.

He couldn't believe he had fallen asleep again. It was two days before his midterm exam in med school and his father would surely kill him if he had a score that was anything other than perfect. Sighing, he trudged downstairs to get a cup of cola or anything to wake him up.

The house was quiet, as it always was during the late nights. He switched the kitchen lights on and grabbed a can of Dr. Pepper, and an uneaten chicken pesto sandwich in the fridge. As he walked back to his room, Yuta noticed the lights in his father's study were turned on.

Thinking that one of the maids had forgotten to turn it off, he walked towards it. Besides, his father was probably already asleep by then.

As he neared, he heard voices.

"Will Yuta be part of your will?" an unfamiliar tone said. Yuta assumed it was the family lawyer, but this had a different timber to his voice. It seemed to jog a memory in Yuta though, a voice he heard once and never again.

"He is my son!" the definite voice of his father said.

A snicker.

"Yes, but not your real son," the other voice said. Yuta wasn't surprised. He had known about him being adopted for a while now. His father had told him during his last birthday.

"He has been my son for too long to be otherwise," his father replied. Yuta was about to leave, already knowing this conversation wasn't meant for his ears. As he started walking away, the shrill voice of his father's companion echoed through the halls, making Yuta shiver.

"How long will you let the guilt of killing his parents get to you? Let the child go with compensation. I'm sure he can live with that."

Yuta felt the floor underneath him shake — his whole world crumbling down.

* * *

There was a tension in the air that only Yuta felt. His dad ate the same way, talked to him the same way, but Yuta could only see the blood staining his father's facade. There wasn't a mask anymore. Finally, Yuta saw the murderer of his parents.

They had died in a car crash. That's what he'd been told. Yuta guessed he could be grateful enough for his father telling half of the truth. Still, in Yuta's eyes, everything had changed.

"Yuta, I'll be out late tonight. I won't be able to join you for dinner," his father said as they finished breakfast. Yuta nodded to acknowledge him and then his father left.

Yuta waited for the engine of the car to start — for the car to drive away. When it did, he slipped into his father's study.

* * *

Yuta walked around the study, rummaging through all the papers scattered inside. He felt his patience diminishing. None of the papers that were on the desk or inside the drawers had what he was looking for.

As he stood in the middle of the study, he tried to think.

If you had a secret, where would he hide it?

His head immediately turned to the right, to a picture of him and his father during his college graduation -- framed and hung on the wall. Behind it, was his father's safe.

He put the frame down, gently. That photo still meant a lot to him despite the circumstances. Yuta inputted his father's birthday, and all the other dates in the safe hoping one of them was right.

When none of them were, he punched in his own birthday. The safe opened. Yuta found himself grimacing. How sentimental of his father.

Inside the safe were a few envelopes, and some cash. He grabbed the envelopes and closed the safe. Like a rabid animal, he started consuming the contents of the envelopes.

* * *

_ Final Report on the Hit & Run case of the Nakamoto Couple _

_ On October 26th, Mr and Mrs Nakamoto were found dead in their car at 3am in the morning. Both police and detectives have concluded it to be a hit & run. _

_ According to CCTV cameras, a blue sedan with plates 092-123, has been found to be the car of 32-year-old Jung Juntae, a junior prosecutor and also the heir to Jung Pharmaceuticals. _

_ One key witness said that Mr. Jung was seen at the vicinity of the accident around the time that the accident occurred. Another witness told the investigators that Jung Juntae was driving home, drunk, after coming from a party with his co-workers. _

_ Dashboard camera footage from the Nakamoto car also corroborates the earlier evidence that was acquired. _

_ The Jung family has since junked Jung Juntae's cars before the police could further investigate. Regardless, the CCTV footage, the dashboard camera footage and the witness report is enough to convict Mr. Jung for the case. _

_ Sig. Seo Youngdae, investigator _

_ At the bottom of the page, a scribble of a judge reads: This report is deemed to be biased and untrue. Please submit another report to the Chief-of-Police as soon as possible. _

* * *

Yuta was too busy reading the truth to realize that his father had come home. He didn't hear the footsteps, nor the door of the study opening.

He did hear the bag drop to the floor.

"What are you doing?" he heard his father say. Yuta looked up, his eyes feeling tired. Had he been crying?

"You killed my parents," Yuta said, his voice hoarse.

"What?" his father asked. Yuta swallowed the anger threatening to come out, but it settled at the tip of his tongue, adding acid to his words. "You killed my parents," he said more clearly.

An inhale.

"Yuta, I can explain," his father started. Yuta shushed him before he could continue.

"What can you explain?" Yuta argued, "How you ran them over in your drunk state and left them there? How you didn't even report it? And how you paid your way out of it? Is that the explanation you want me to hear?" Yuta asked.

He saw his father swallow a lump — unable to speak.

Yuta shook his head, his hands trembling.

"Why did you adopt me then?" Yuta asked. "So you could diminish the guilt? Or did you even feel guilty?"

"I felt guilty. That's why I adopted you, Yuta!" his father started. "I was young, and I had just caused a child to lose his parents."

Yuta ground his teeth together. He felt the blood in his veins boil from anger. He wanted to do something but the only thing that he could do was stand there -- looking at his father with disgust.

"I wanted to give you a life, Yuta, because you couldn't have done it without your parents. Don’t the years I took care of you diminish what I did?" his father cried. Yuta watched as his father's legs buckled beneath him; he crumbled to the floor.

His hand twitched, wanting to reach for his father, but he clenched his fist to stop himself.

"A crime is a crime no matter how you spin it!" Yuta said.

His father continued to cry, and Yuta felt a single teardrop drop from his eyes. He wiped it away. This murderer didn't deserve his tears.

"What would you have had me do?" his father asked.

"You could've told me the truth," Yuta growled.

His father snickered. "And what would you have said then that you haven't said now?"

Yuta shrugged, walking towards his father. He stood in front of him -- in front of the man he had always respected. "I would've understood," Yuta said.

His father shook his head.

"No, you wouldn't. I know you, Yuta," his father started. "You're not quick to forgive."

Yuta laughed, nodding. He walked past his father towards the door. Yuta wasn't good with anger, so he had to let off some steam. Besides, he was thinking of things he could do to his father that he wouldn't want to do.

"You're right," he whispered as he opened the door. "I would've killed you."

The door closed behind him.

* * *

**30 days after the trial**

Doyoung stayed outside the court the whole day. He had wanted to watch the _ punishment  _ get carried out but Yuta was right -- not that they had great memories together, but he didn't want that to be his last memory of his client. Still, Doyoung didn't want to be reminded of how he had failed over and over again. So instead of going to the penitentiary, he stayed near the place where he had failed. If he was going to be guilty, this was the best place to feel that.

A few moments later, the sun that had been burning the side of his face faded. Instead, a man stood in front of him. Doyoung grimaced.

"Come to gloat, Kun?" he asked.

Kun approached him but still kept a respectful distance. He had his hands in his pockets, looking at Doyoung the way he hadn't before -- with pity.

"I didn't know they planned to kill him, Do," Kun admitted. "I would've settled for life without parole, you know that."

"It's too late now anyway," Doyoung said.

Kun proceeded to sit beside him.

"We don't know that," Kun said.

"What do you mean?" Doyoung asked.

"I got your envelope, and you put me in such a state," Kun admitted. "You know I wouldn't be able to deny it if someone is innocent."

"I told you this time was different," Doyoung said.

"How were you so sure he was innocent?" Kun asked.

Doyoung shrugged, "He reminded me of my brother," he said. The same answer he had told everyone who had asked.

"But your brother was guilty. You knew that," Kun said.

"I know," Doyoung answered. "But with Yuta I realized I found the one thing I kept doubting with my brother -- a certainty."

Kun smiled.

"I heard you were retiring," Kun remarked. 

Doyoung nodded. "I’ve had enough of this life. Besides, I have enough money from all the dirty bastards I let loose."

"They won't be out for long," Kun said.

"I know," Doyoung replied, "because you do your job well."

Kun laughed. If anyone in their class saw them together, they'd probably laugh with him. Doyoung and he were never known to be friends, even in law school. They approached law differently, with varying perspectives, never realizing that they were going towards the same destination.

“I found out a few days later that Jung Juntae’s lawyer and the judge had an agreement,” Kun admitted. Doyoung turned to look at Kun, surprised. 

“I might have gloated at the court that day, but I never knew they were actually doing something dirty behind my back,” Kun said. “I wouldn’t have done anything to tarnish my good name. That wasn’t how I was raised.” Kun placed his head in his hands, embarrassed. 

Doyoung placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I know what you mean. When you realize that these people have done something you wouldn’t approve of, you think turning a blind eye would mean you didn’t help them. But it’s only empowering them, and making them more confident that they could do it again.” 

“I should’ve realized something was wrong when he introduced me to his son,” Kun remarked. 

“Son?” 

“Johnny,” Kun said. 

Suddenly, things clicked in Doyoung’s head. “Everything had been planned from the beginning,” he muttered. 

“How does justice work when things are already set in stone?” Kun asked. 

Doyoung smiled. “That’s why there’s people like us -- like you -- who are ready to take on the world to balance the scales again.” 

“It’s a hard life to do alone,” Kun said. “Are you sure you’re retiring?” 

“Don’t worry. I’m leaving you Taeyong,” Doyoung remarked. “He’s the best in the field, and he does his job well.” 

“My type of guy,” Kun replied, standing up. 

Doyoung followed after him.

“Where would you go after this?” Kun asked.

Doyoung shrugged. “I’m going to fix my life once and for all.” 

Kun nodded and offered his hand to shake. Doyoung shook it, just as Kun said, "It’s been a pleasure working with you."

"You too," Doyoung answered.

"I'll get Yuta out. I promise."

"I know you will. The truth is the truth no matter how you spin it." 

* * *

**One Year Later**

_ “The long, hard and messy case that was Jung Juntae’s murder is finally coming to a close. The deceased’s son, Nakamoto Yuta, who was on death row last year is finally seeing justice for his father’s murder. Mr. Nakamoto was convicted of the murder of his father, but new evidence came to light just in time to release Mr. Nakamoto of his charges.  _

_ “Lee Young Heum, more commonly known as Ten, is now being convicted of the murder of Jung Juntae. Additionally, Seo Myungho, Seo Johnny and former Judge Lee Jaechan are also being convicted of obstruction of justice for planting evidence and falsifying testimonies for the case last year. More on this developing story, tonight at -”  _

“Do?” 

Doyoung immediately turned off the television when he heard his fiancé enter the room. 

“In the living room, Jae!” 

“Hey, I’m sorry I’m late,” Jaehyun started. He rushed to Doyoung and kissed the top of his head. “I’ll finish packing, and then I’ll meet you in the car, okay?” 

Doyoung nodded. 

“Are you alright?” Jaehyun asked. 

Doyoung stood up and walked towards him. “This is the best I’ve ever felt in my whole life,” he admitted. 

Jaehyun smiled back, cupping Doyoung’s face in his hands. “It will only get better.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos if you liked it. If you don't, you could shout at me still.
> 
> And thanks to my beta for real who I will name after reveals :)


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